Despite the name of the event, Peer Health hopes that "Date Day" will inspire relationships that last longer than that.
Today's Date Day, held by Peer Health, is meant to encourage students to ask someone out on a date and start the campus conversation on dating in general.
Though the student group has endorsed and sponsored events on campus already this year, "Date Day" is the first event that members of the group created from scratch.
According to group member Jess Weaver '10, since Peer Health is a new group on campus, its purpose is still being defined.
"It's still kind of in the formation phase," she said. "Basically its function right now is to serve as a liaison between the student body and the health resources on campus."
Weaver, along with Julia Bond '09, organized Date Day in response to the lack of a visible dating scene at Bowdoin.
"People our age don't seem to date too much because of our perpetual fear of the 'awkward,' but dating can be a fun and exciting way to get to know people," said Bond.
According to Bond, Date Day is the perfect reason to ask someone out.
"Hopefully, Date Day will give people an excuse, or even just some encouragement, to take that daring step and ask someone to do something, even if it's just a walk around the Quad," she said.
To give students more options, Peer Health contacted local businesses to negotiate discounts for Date Day, in the hope that the reduced prices will inspire more students to venture into Brunswick.
"There is more to life than 'Dinner at Moulton or Thorne?' Sometimes we get stuck in the Bowdoin bubble, and Date Day is also about asking a friend to leave campus and be reminded of the wide world beyond Bowdoin's campus."
Businesses offering discounts include Pedro O'Hara's, Bombay Mahal, Eveningstar Cinema, the Great Impasta, Hattie's, Sweet Leaves Teahouse, MJ's Tavern, and the Gelato Fiasco.
"The day itself really isn't centered on an event," said Weaver. "It's more just about encouraging people to get off campus."
Restaurant and movie discounts are being offered until December 9, giving already overcommitted students plenty of time to schedule dates in town.
"You can't be busy for a whole week, and don't let anyone you ask out tell you that," said Weaver.
Weaver also collected fun dating ideas from Bowdoin students. The list included bowling at Cook's Corner, hiking on Morse Mountain, going to a Sea Dog's or Pirates game, bike riding, and apple picking.
"Do something active!" said Bond. "The latest 'dating experts' seem to believe that doing something active increases the chances of there being a date number two."
Though Bowdoin's lack of dating scene may not be atypical for a college campus, according to Weaver, dating is not dead.
"I spent the summer in Washington D.C., and I was just really impressed," she said. "I was friends with people who were my own age, and all they time they would be going out on dates."
"It kind of made me look at the social scene at Bowdoin in a new light," she added. "It's so funny that I didn't see that huge void before this summer."
Though students often find themselves busy enough without having to fit dating into their lives, Weaver said that this week is the time to try something new.
"You end up with either drunk, casual sex or those married, shackled-together-for-life couples that everyone kind of loves and hates at the same time," she said. "Date Day is about finding some happy middle ground between the two."